SFC Certified as a "Site in Harmony with Nature" by the Ministry of the Environment | Tomohiro Ichinose, Dean of the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies
April 8, 2025
Last month, our campus was certified as a "Site in Harmony with Nature," an area recognized for its contribution to biodiversity conservation. In the December 2021 Dean's Diary entry ( "30 by 30" ), I discussed 30by30, one of the global targets adopted at the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity, which aims to conserve at least 30% of the Earth's land and sea as protected areas. Then, in the May 2023 Dean's Diary entry ( "Keio University Joins the 30by30 Alliance" ), I announced that Keio University had joined the "30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity," a voluntary coalition working to achieve this goal. Although about two years have passed since then, SFC has finally been certified as a Site in Harmony with Nature.
The "Sites in Harmony with Nature" program is a system where the national government certifies areas that possess biodiversity value and where conservation efforts are being made through various initiatives by businesses, private organizations and individuals, and local governments. Areas certified as Sites in Harmony with Nature are registered in an international database as "OECMs." OECM is an acronym for "Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures," referring to areas outside of legally established protected areas like national parks that effectively and sustainably conserve biodiversity over the long term. These sites can be counted toward the 30by30 target.
SFC was certified in the second half of fiscal year 2024, but we had actually intended to apply for certification in the first half, with almost all the necessary documents prepared. However, due to what seemed to be an overwhelming number of applications, the application window was closed in early May, during the submission period. So, for the second half, we eagerly awaited the start of the application period and submitted our application on the very first day. We had hoped to be the first educational institution in Kanagawa Prefecture to receive this certification, but Yokohama National University's campus beat us to it in the first half of fiscal year 2024. What's more, even within Keio University, the Keio Forest (Shizugawa Forest), which I introduced in last May's Dean's Diary entry ( "Keio Forest: Shizugawa Forest" ), had already been certified as part of the Minamisanriku FSC Certified Forest.
That said, whether we were first or not is not the important thing. What is necessary is to involve more students and faculty members and to invigorate our biodiversity conservation activities. Furthermore, we must leverage this experience to seek certification for other properties owned by Keio University. The campus has just welcomed new students. I hope that all of you will enjoy the nature on and around our campus.